Kutscher Benner Barsness & Stevens

Kutscher Benner Barsness & Stevens

Ted Kutscher founded the firm in 1991 as a Seattle-based wealth manager. Three decades later, the partnership operates as Kutscher Benner Barsness & Stevens under principals Scott Benner, Cameron Barsness and Ryan Stevens — a lawyer, a CFP and a CFA/CAIA charterholder respectively. Kutscher stepped back from regular duties at the end of 2020 and now serves as Principal Emeritus while continuing legal work through KHBB Law PLLC. The partnership manages multi-asset portfolios spanning domestic equities, international equities, emerging-market stocks, US Treasury bonds and real assets. Its investment commentary from March 2026 details a response to the Iran conflict that saw crude oil spike above $95 per barrel and global stocks decline 7–8% — a moment the firm used to counsel clients against panic selling (per the firm, March 2026). The approach is conservative and research-heavy, relying on historical conflict-market data from Goldman Sachs to argue that investors are typically rewarded for staying invested. Allocation decisions are made by the three principals, with portfolio construction tailored to individual families and trusts rather than pooled funds. KBBS employs seven professionals across planning and operations, including shareholders Kyle O'Connor and Gianna Giusti, both CFP holders. The firm operates from a single office at 1201 Western Avenue in Seattle. In late 2025, the US economy grew roughly 2.2% with labor productivity rising 2.8% — a backdrop the firm cited in early 2026 to illustrate that corporate earnings and economic fundamentals remained sound despite geopolitical turmoil (per the firm, March 2026). KBBS limits its client base to those with aligned investment philosophies, describing its model as intentionally narrow to avoid the conflicts embedded in traditional wealth management. KBBS differentiates structurally by refusing to separate financial counsel from investment execution. Its principals hold legal, tax and investment credentials under one roof — a configuration that sidesteps the brokerage industry's product-distribution incentive and instead charges directly for integrated advice. The firm's own language frames this as a break with traditional models, one that only works with a deliberately constrained client roster.